Europe League
Bayers Schick flattened after comeback: “Long way to go”
“But it’s getting better from game to game,” says Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick. photo
© Marius Becker/dpa
Patrik Schick hasn’t played a game since March 5th. The Bayer Leverkusen striker came on as a substitute for the first time in the 5-1 win against Karabakh Agdam in the Europa League.
On the one hand, the Czech’s mood was a bit dampened by the fact that he had been drawn for a doping test in the first game in almost eight months. On the other hand, the Bayer Leverkusen striker was unexpectedly affected by his first 30 minutes of action since the beginning of March.
“It was hard. Now I know that I still have a long way to go and that I have to work hard,” said Schick after Bayer Leverkusen’s 5-1 win against Karabakh Agdam, the Bundesliga leaders’ third win in the third group game of the Europa League .
“I know what it feels like to come back after injuries. It’s always hard. But I’ve never been out for so long,” said Schick, who has been training with the team again for a month and is now back in one for the first time in 231 days competitive game was used. “A game is something completely different than training. But it gets better from game to game. And I’m not in any pain, which makes me happy.” The loud reception from the fans when he came on in the 62nd minute “felt like a goal”.
Rolfes: “You just can’t simulate a game”
For coach Xabi Alonso, the feeling of his number 14 is “totally normal after such a long injury. The first game is always the hardest.” Schick, who scored 24 goals in 27 Bundesliga games in the 2021/22 season, was a bit dissatisfied because he “of course wanted to score a goal. But I’m very happy for him that he’s back.”
Sports director Simon Rolfes also smiled when asked about Schick’s complaints. “You just can’t simulate a game,” said Rolfes. After the striker’s long adductor problems, it will still take a while before he is fully fit to play, no question about it. We still have to have a little patience. But he will always get his minutes.” And Schick will make progress, he is sure. “He’s in good fitness, even if he’s exhausted now.” The Czech “has been looking forward to it for so long and worked so hard. That’s why this effort is definitely good for him. For the soul and also the body.”